Unplugged

[Vinylalbumcovers]

1.Yes, this is all true for most singers, especially if they're singing in front of a medium to large size orchestral ensemble (maybe even incl. choral accompaniment)...but this is not always, or necessarily the case, especially for an accomplished and talented singer who is used to, or experienced with, singing with smaller groups also...

2.I'm not sure Ed what you mean here - could you restate this please...are you saying that - as I always understood it - that she usually (mostly?) recorded her vocals to a pre-recorded rhythm track only (base, drums and piano) - if true, most of the rest of the accompaniment (orchestra, chorus, backing vocal) were recorded later and she never heard them when she was laying down her lead vocal track, and thus they had no influence on how she sang a song...unless perhaps if Richard went over the arrangement verbally or on his piano beforehand.

3.If what I describe above is the case then I say that, conversely, her vocals might have been different if she had been accompanyed by the full musical ensemble while recording them...maybe...

1. Singers react to what they're hearing - whether live or through headphones. It's human nature; they all do that. I know I do. Any singers phrasing and power would change based on what they're hearing - be it piano backing or a full production. Karen would likely also make different choices if she was just hearing a piano.

2. On many of the previously unreleased tracks, Karen was singing along while the rhythm section was playing to give them something to react to. Other things were then added after the fact as Richard full produced the track. She would have been directly influenced by the sound of the rhythm section and by the fact that she'd be doing a master vocal at some point later if they decided to released the track.

3. Every act records differently. Some will lay down the final lead after everything else is done so that the vocalist can react to everything on the track. Some will do it somewhere in the middle after the rhythm section is recorded; just depends on the artist and producer.

Either way, Karen was not singing with the notion that there'd just be a piano backing her If she were just singing to a piano track, her vocal would be influenced by that and would likely be rendered differently by her.

Ed

 

[JohnFB]

So, let me see if I understand the usual recording sequence - Karen would record what is called a "work lead" with just the rhythm section, and then after the song had been fully produced she would re-record the song as a "master vocal" - then the harmonized background vocals would be recorded? And the infamous double tracked lead vocal?

Here's a related question: how often did she actually do a "master vocal" on one take? There seems to be a popular impression out there in YouTube Land that she did this quite often and she's frequently referred to as "One Take Karen"...

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

So, let me see if I understand the usual recording sequence - Karen would record what is called a "work lead" with just the rhythm section, and then after the song had been fully produced she would re-record the song as a "master vocal" - then the harmonized background vocals would be recorded? And the infamous double tracked lead vocal?

Here's a related question: how often did she actually do a "master vocal" on one take? There seems to be a popular impression out there in YouTube Land that she did this quite often and she's frequently referred to as "One Take Karen"...

That's fairly typical of how sessions like these go. The work lead (couldn't think of the term earlier - thanks...LOL!) was just there so that the musicians could react to something and so that they knew where they were in the song. This would have been especially important for something like "Please Mr. Postman" which is just four chords repeating ad nauseam. They'd play through it with Karen running through it too. If a mistake was made, because Karen's vocal was there, it would have been easier to point to the problem area for the musicians to more easily fix. After the lead is there, the backgrounds would go on. Some groups record everything first and then the lead is done so that the vocalist can react to everything on the track. That didn't happen with in Carpenters' case.

That Karen did so many flawless work leads is pretty unheard of. Richard could just use that and fully produce around it. It's still clear what Karen was singing to ("Ordinary Fool" is a prime example; when the strings swell, she doesn't so we can tell that she sang without them) but she sounds remarkable even though she was just doing a work lead. Pretty amazing.

Ed

 

[A&M Retro]

Richard has stated previously that Karen liked to hear EVERYTHING in her headphones when she'd record her vocals. It sounds to me like her work leads were just piano, drums, bass and Karen's leads. The final vocal take that she would have approved were done after all of the orchestrations were completed.

 

[tomswift2002]

Richard has stated previously that Karen liked to hear EVERYTHING in her headphones when she'd record her vocals. It sounds to me like her work leads were just piano, drums, bass and Karen's leads. The final vocal take that she would have approved were done after all of the orchestrations were completed.

Well there is one “officially” released Unplugged song out there: “Last One Singin’ The Blues”. And you can even hear Karen a few times giving directions.

 

[JohnFB]

...

That Karen did so many flawless work leads is pretty unheard of. Richard could just use that and fully produce around it. It's still clear what Karen was singing to ("Ordinary Fool" is a prime example; when the strings swell, she doesn't so we can tell that she sang without them) but she sounds remarkable even though she was just doing a work lead. Pretty amazing.

Ed

Remarkable. Indeed - for example, on RAINBOW CONNECTION, LEAVE YESTERDAY BEHIND, ETC.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Richard has stated previously that Karen liked to hear EVERYTHING in her headphones when she'd record her vocals. It sounds to me like her work leads were just piano, drums, bass and Karen's leads. The final vocal take that she would have approved were done after all of the orchestrations were completed.

Ah. Got it. I mistyped. Thanks for the correction.

Ed

 

[David A]

This one is superb. The original featured Karen’s vocal but I think was blocked so he re-recorded it with another vocalist. She is pretty close to Karen I’d say, especially in the verses. And the arrangement is amazing.

To each their own, etc, but...Carpenters EDM? Aaggghhkkkkkkk, not for me, and that's not a knock on EDM per se', I just don't like hearing Carpenters recorded that way (nor many other older classic pop music).

 

[Nemily]

Richard has stated previously that Karen liked to hear EVERYTHING in her headphones when she'd record her vocals. It sounds to me like her work leads were just piano, drums, bass and Karen's leads. The final vocal take that she would have approved were done after all of the orchestrations were completed.

Everything that JohnFB, Ed and A&M Retro mentioned on final vocal takes ring the bell for me and I will add that I have always been kind of iffy on a few of the outtakes. Often times I love them because they were just opted out in favor of another recording, and then other times I skip over them, mostly sensing it wasn't meant to be listened to for exactly that same reason that A&M Retro mentions, Karen never okayed them. If she had authorized these vocals for release to an audience, it would have signaled that she was professionally satisfied with them.

 

[newvillefan]

I’m not a big fan of this idea. It could only work really well if Karen was still around to reimagine and re-record her vocal performances for each track. You can’t really have a solo piano tinkling along to Karen’s original vocals on ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ or ‘Rainy Days And Mondays’ when she’s belting out the choruses and/or her voice is double tracked. It would be too jarring.

I’m beginning to think I may have to take back what I said…well in the case of certain tracks anyway

 

[Kyle Thomas]

Wow, these are pretty well done. A couple of tempo issues and some areas where it doesn't jive exactly right... But imagine what could be if done professionally. I wouldn't mind the addition of drums also, if it gave off the film of Karen in a jazz lounge somewhere, with a piano and the drums were soft...

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Everything that JohnFB, Ed and A&M Retro mentioned on final vocal takes ring the bell for me and I will add that I have always been kind of iffy on a few of the outtakes. Often times I love them because they were just opted out in favor of another recording, and then other times I skip over them, mostly sensing it wasn't meant to be listened to for exactly that same reason that A&M Retro mentions, Karen never okayed them. If she had authorized these vocals for release to an audience, it would have signaled that she was professionally satisfied with them.

Hard to know what she might or might not have okay’d. According to Richard, these outtakes wouldn’t even have been thought of again had she lived.

My issue is about the way she’s singing on some of them. Take “Ordinary Fool” for example. When she hits the b-section (“when a road I walked before…”), she’s singing as though she’s only singing to a rhythm section. Richard fills this out with big strings she never heard and while it still sounds nice, it doesn’t sound natural. She’s nearly overwhelmed by the strings she doesn’t know she’s singing along with and no mix engineer can hide that.

Like…that would work with just a piano because she wouldn’t have singing to much more than that anyway. Other things just wouldn’t because she was singing to much more based on what Richard has told us.

Ed

 

[JohnFB]

...

My issue is about the way she’s singing on some of them. Take “Ordinary Fool” for example. When she hits the b-section (“when a road I walked before…”), she’s singing as though she’s only singing to a rhythm section. Richard fills this out with big strings she never heard and while it still sounds nice, it doesn’t sound natural. She’s nearly overwhelmed by the strings she doesn’t know she’s singing along with and no mix engineer can hide that.

Like…that would work with just a piano because she wouldn’t have singing to much more than that anyway...

Ed

I never cared much for the added strings on OF - they seem out of place, given that the arrangement and "feel" of the song is that of a Jazzy/Blusey torch song - the piano was more than good enough...love Karen's humming at the end, but wish it stood out more clearly...Ella has a great version of this song too - I wonder if she ever heard Karen's? I love the fact that they seem to have been a mutual admiration twosome...and what was not to love?

 

[newvillefan]

Ella has a great version of this song too - I wonder if she ever heard Karen's? I love the fact that they seem to have been a mutual admiration twosome...and what was not to love?

This doesn’t answer your question but Richard gave the answer to the opposite question (“did Karen ever hear Ella’s version?”) on the “Fans Ask” section of the official website. Remarkable anecdote for those who’ve never read it.

Those who have spent any time listening to Carpenters recordings will notice that Karen's remarkable singing and style was beholden to no other and possessed no affectations, the same as Perry Como, which is why no impressionists ever try to imitate her or him. In addition, she possessed a remarkably small record collection, did her listening in the car and, no disrespect intended, as she had no Sinatra, Cole, or Como recordings either, did not have an Ella record to her name.

I happened to see " Bugsy Malone" in 1976, heard "Ordinary Fool", got a demo and then played and sang the piece on a cassette for Karen to hear as I wasn't crazy about the demo.( Until reading the book First Lady of Song I did not know Ella had recorded it.) Karen and I recorded it in 1976 while working on our "A Kind Of Hush" album. Originally it was recorded the way we did virtually all our recordings, bass, piano, drums and a "work lead" so, as you know, the drummer and bassist could hear the melody while reading their charts. Karen was not that taken with the song and it did not make the album.

Following Karen's tragic and untimely death in February 1983, I put together an album of outtakes from various years that I felt were pretty decent songs, if not hits, and "Ordinary Fool", obviously, was one of them. I always felt the song perfect for Karen's voice and even though it is a work lead, it's flawless, so I completed the chart, adding strings, winds, brass and a tenor sax solo by John Phillips. The result remains one of my favorite Carpenters recordings and I feel if Karen could hear it a few times now, her opinion of it just might change.

I realize this is all much more than you need to know, but the upshot is that the only person Karen heard sing "Ordinary Fool" was I, in addition to the fact that ours was recorded before Ella's. Chalk it up to "brilliant minds think alike", and in this case these two incredibly gifted singers obviously both felt the same musical light when it came to interpreting "Ordinary Fool".

Carpenters Fans Ask- Richard Answers, May 2005

Carpenters Fans questions answered by Richard Carpenter

richardandkarencarpenter.com

 

[Nemily]

Wow, these are pretty well done. A couple of tempo issues and some areas where it doesn't jive exactly right... But imagine what could be if done professionally

I would love to hear Richard playing to these isolated vocals

 

[Mark-T]

I think OF is an absolutely perfect record from any way you measure it. An all time favorite.

 

[JohnFB]

I think OF is an absolutely perfect record from any way you measure it. An all time favorite.

It's one of my favorites too, but I don't think it's a "perfect record" - that honor, in my not-so-humble opinion, goes to RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS...lose the strings and accentuate her humming at the end and it's close (maybe a little longer sax solo)...

I didn't know this was a "work lead"...Richard was right in saying it was "flawless" though...but this was true of most, if not all, of her work leads it seems. She apparently didn't know how to sing a song any other way. Her work leads were like everyone else's finished, polished, autotuned, technically enhanced "masters"...

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

It's one of my favorites too, but I don't think it's a "perfect record" - that honor, in my not-so-humble opinion, goes to RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS...lose the strings and accentuate her humming at the end and it's close (maybe a little longer sax solo)...

I didn't know this was a "work lead"...Richard was right in saying it was "flawless" though...but this was true of most, if not all, of her work leads it seems. She apparently didn't know how to sing a song any other way. Her work leads were like everyone else's finished, polished, autotuned, technically enhanced "masters"...

IMHO, I really like the strings. I have no problem with them at all. I absolutely love those last three chords at the end. It's such a perfect ending. My only minor quibble is that I can tell Karen didn't sing with them there. She's couldn't react to them and it's noticeable. Still, Richard nailed this one for me. He left a huge hole for her voice (until that one b-section) and it's not overproduced like so much of his stuff is.

Ed

 

[Randy M]

To each their own, etc, but...Carpenters EDM? Aaggghhkkkkkkk, not for me, and that's not a knock on EDM per se', I just don't like hearing Carpenters recorded that way (nor many other older classic pop music).

The same thing was done with Judy Garland's "Over The Rainbow." !!!! And Bette Midler's "The Rose." Just a dance beat over the top of it and drowning out the vocal. Anyone ever hear Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" as a 7 minute dance song? Or Whitney Houston's dance version of "A Song For You?"

Or Ethel Merman's disco album? Just a loud beat added to her songs.

 

[JohnFB]

...

Or Ethel Merman's disco album? Just a loud beat added to her songs.

In Ethel Merman's case a very loud dance beat is a welcome blessing in disguise...

 

[Murray]

-

In Ethel Merman's case a very loud dance beat is a welcome blessing in disguise...

Imagine how blessed the world would have been, had they added a marching band, a jet engine, and a jackhammer...

 

[motownboy]

I’m not a big fan of this idea. It could only work really well if Karen was still around to reimagine and re-record her vocal performances for each track. You can’t really have a solo piano tinkling along to Karen’s original vocals on ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ or ‘Rainy Days And Mondays’ when she’s belting out the choruses and/or her voice is double tracked. It would be too jarring.

The vocals were recorded single tracked. The doubling comes either from her recording a second vocal separately on the multitrack for that purpose or through the use of a chorus device added during mixdown. The vocals can be presented without the doubling/chorus effect.

 

[JohnFB]

The vocals were recorded single tracked. The doubling comes either from her recording a second vocal separately on the multitrack for that purpose or through the use of a chorus device added during mixdown. The vocals can be presented without the doubling/chorus effect.

One can only hope!

So, how were Karen's lead vocals actually doubled - a separately recorded track actually singing along with herself, or transferring (bouncing) that single track to a second track, thus doubling (as they did with their background harmony vocsls) or some sort of "chorus device" utilized during the mixdown? I always assumed it was the first technique, but my basic ignorance about the methods, possibilities and techniques of the recording process constantly surprise me...I just know that whichever was used the end results - to no one's surprise here - never failed to disappoint me...

 

[newvillefan]

So, how were Karen's lead vocals actually doubled - a separately recorded track actually singing along with herself, or transferring (bouncing) that single track to a second track, thus doubling (as they did with their background harmony vocsls) or some sort of "chorus device" utilized during the mixdown?

It is the first technique. Karen laid down one take and would then go back into the booth and “match” that first take - sometimes so accurately that her vocals would phase.

 

[motownboy]

In the second technique, one solo vocal is run trough either a hardware device or, these days, software that creates a chorus effect by taking a copy of the solo vocal and altering the pitch and phase ever so slightly. Then those are mixed together. The effect is added during mixdown and that leaves the original dry solo vocal untouched.